This
wide-angle photo by Reuters of the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue
in central Baghdad arouses suspicions that the "spontaneous jubilation"
by the Iraqi masses shown on television around the world was a "media
event" orchestrated by the Pentagon.

Rather
than a spontaneous mass demonstration, the photo clearly shows that
only a couple hundred Iraqis participated in the largely empty and
heavily guarded Fardus Square. American tanks and troops surrounded
the square and one armored vehicle "helped" the Iraqis pull down the
statue.

In
the upper part of the photo, it appears that normal traffic into the
square has been blocked by American troops. Conveniently, this square
is in close proximity to the Palestine Hotel, which houses journalists
covering the war. The timing of the activities is also suspicious;
the wrecking of the statue occurred during the morning shows on the
American television networks.

The
motive for this seemingly staged event: In the wake of reports of
an ambivalent Iraqi reaction to an invasion billed as one designed
to "liberate" Iraq, the Bush administration badly needed television
pictures showing Iraqi popular support.